Small game survey results available from Minnesota DNR
News | Published on September 10, 2024 at 5:01pm EDT | Author: frazeevergas
0Approximately 12,000 fewer licenses were issued
The number of small game hunters in Minnesota in 2023 increased slightly from 2022 and was 5 percent below the 10-year average. Overall, 230,283 small game licenses were sold for the 2023-24 hunting seasons, compared to the 10-year average of 242,688 small game licenses. But similar to the previous year, hunters who did pursue the top small game species (waterfowl, grouse, and pheasants) had similar or slightly better success rates compared to the 10-year averages, according to the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources’ small game hunter mail survey.
The annual survey estimates the number of hunters, harvest and hunter success rates for two dozen species. The survey asks small game license buyers if they hunted, what species they hunted, how many days they spent hunting and the amount of harvest by species.
Highlights of the 2023 results for approximate harvest, hunter numbers and success include:
• Ducks – 81,976 state duck stamps were sold, which was similar to 2022 sales and 7 percent below the 10-year average. There were 50,400 hunters, which was 24 percent below the 10-year average of 66,400 hunters. Overall harvest was 565,700 ducks, down 15 percent from the 10-year average of 662,200 ducks. Eighty-four percent of hunters were successful, bagging 13.1 ducks on average, which was greater than the 10-year average of 11.8 ducks.
• Canada geese – There were 29,700 hunters in 2023, which was 32 percent below the 10-year average of 43,600 hunters. An estimated 146,800 geese were harvested, 36 percent below the 10-year average of 228,047 geese. Hunter success was 76 percent and successful hunters bagged 6.5 geese on average, similar to the 10-year averages.
• Ruffed grouse – As estimated 66,800 hunters pursued grouse in 2023, which was 7 percent less than the 10-year average of 72,100 hunters. They harvested 339,600 grouse, a 34 percent increase compared to the 10-year average. Hunter success was 73 percent, which was slightly above the 10-year average of 70 percent. Successful hunters bagged 6.9 grouse each, which was almost two birds more than the 10-year average.
• Pheasants – 79,037 pheasant stamps were sold in 2023, which was 2 percent greater than 2022 sales and about 4 percent greater than the 10-year average of 76,344 stamps. An estimated 50,600 hunters went afield, which was 8 percent lower than the 10-year average of 55,100 hunters. Approximately 208,800 roosters were harvested, which was 6 percent more than the 10-year average of 197,000 roosters. Hunter success was 72 percent, which was greater than the 10-year average of 68 percent, and mean harvest was 5.7 roosters, which was slightly above the 10-year average of 5.3 roosters.
In recent years, duck and pheasant stamp sales have been quite a bit higher than the numbers of hunters pursuing these species, which could reflect those with a hunting tradition who curtailed their hunting but still continue to support conservation efforts by buying stamps.
To help get more hunters afield, the Minnesota DNR has been working to recruit, retain and reactivate hunters in a variety of ways that aim to get more of these hunters afield. Examples include the Take a Friend Hunting campaign (www.mndnr.gov/gohunting/take-friend-hunting.html) with Pheasants Forever and sharing tips through weekly skills webinars (www.mndnr.gov/discover).
The complete small game hunter survey report is on the Minnesota DNR website (www.mndnr.gov/wildlife/research/wildlife-research-publications.html#reports).